Do I Need to Wash or Launder My New Egyptian Cotton Sheets, Sheet Set or Duvet Before Using the Set for the Very First Time?

This depends where you have purchased the set and who manufactured your new Sheet or Duvet Set. Venus Rising Limited Sheets and Duvets do not need to be washed or laundered before first use. In fact, you can use your new Set right out of the package and it is actually recommended that you do so. We use a special pre-laundering process, far more expensive in production, but we think it's worth it and believe you will too. Our attention to detail means that your new set will be ready to use the moment it arrives to your door. All you have to do is make the bed. Why are our sets different than others you've purchased? You've probably heard that you're always supposed to wash new Sheets or Duvets, or Bedding products, before their first use. This is true of nearly every manufacturer, and the reason for this is twofold. First, most Sets are vat-dyed and the first washing helps remove excess dye that occurred during the dyeing process. Our sets experience a far superior and more expensive yarn-dyeing process which means the yarns are actually dyed prior to weave. The result is far superior color retention that simply cannot be accomplished through any other dyeing technique. Excess dyes through vat-dyeing techniques can be particularly problematic for allergy sufferers or those with sensitive skin. In general, the excess dye also causes increased stiffness of fabric, poor drape of fabric and loss of softness. This type of dyeing process is never used with any of our Bedding products. The pre-laundering process is extremely important for a secondary reason: Egyptian Cotton, and all Cottons for that matter, are natural fibers which will have a certain amount of shrinkage. Our pre-laundering process is done before cut and construction of your Specialty Sheet or Duvet Set, to ensure that fiber shrinkage occurs before your Set is actually constructed. What does this mean for you? Proper fit, and retention of proper fit. Sheet Sets typically need to be laundered to cause the shrinkage process to occur immediately, so that the Fitted Sheet pockets will shrink to the correct size. If you've ever used a new Sheet Set without first washing it, you've probably noticed that the pockets seem roomy or oversized, and don't fit snugly right out of the package. This is because manufacturers actually allow additional room for shrinkage and cut the fabric larger so that the pocket shrinks to the correct size when you first launder the Set. Unfortunately, what often occurs is that the pockets are not sized correctly when they fabric has not been pre-laundered and will usually shrink to a size that causes or allows the Sheet to lift or pop off of the mattress corners. If you've endured this problem, you know how frustrating it is to combat the issue of an improperly fitting Fitted Sheet. Our pre-laundering process means that the shrinkage has already occurred before the set is constructed, to produce a correct fit.